Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en Lucha

Organization Summary

Over the past fourteen years, CTUL has forged a new path for worker leadership development in the Twin Cities, opening new spaces where low-wage workers of color have a voice in their workplaces and in their communities. CTUL seeks to strengthen its work building a multi-racial organization.

CTUL has a vision of organizing the most marginalized workers in our economy to directly confront the elite corporations and 1% that control our economy, make demands, and win concrete and structural changes for communities across the metro area. Through worker-led campaigns with CTUL, workers have:

• Worked in coalition to win increased wages and benefits for hundreds of thousands of low-wage workers through the $15 minimum wage in Minneapolis, and Earned Sick & Safe Time in Minneapolis and St. Paul;
• Transformed the retail janitorial industry, making the Twin Cities the first metro area where the industry is unionized;
• Recovered over $2 million in unpaid wages and damages in cases of wage theft; and
• Won long-term changes in their workplace that bring over $7 million in additional income per year into the poorest communities in the metro area.

Position Summary

In close partnership with CTUL’s co-directors, staff, and members, the Policy Lead will coordinate our efforts to advance policy that supports building power for working-class people of color. This role will empower our base to be the front-line spokespeople with elected officials, building the skills to help our members tell their story and advance policy that supports workers’ rights. You’ll be part of a team internally and externally that pushes the boundaries of what the laws tell us is possible for working-class people of color, advancing out-of-the-box solutions to build the scaffolding that supports long-term power-building among working-class people.

This isn’t a lobbyist role. It’s a strategic organizing and coordination role. You will see and seize the strategic opportunities of this moment, organize to get the right people in the room, set and move a strategy that engages partners, staff, and members, and train and prepare our membership base to build power for themselves and other working-class people of color.

Position Description 

(Essential duties & responsibilities may include but are not limited to the following)

• Lead the coordination of CTUL’s work regarding a co-enforcement model, including leading on political relationships to move the budgets on co-enforcement with the City of Minneapolis and the City of St. Paul, and the State of Minnesota.
• Develop the leadership of the base to step into roles with elected officials that will help influence and advance policy
• Collaborate with metro-adjacent municipalities who may be considering Sick and Safe Time and other pro-worker ordinances as applicable
• Serve as the CTUL representative on various city- and state-level advisory committees and/or coordinate with staff and members to ensure that the right people are in the room at the right time
• Serve as the CTUL representative at various task forces related to policy at a city and state level and/or coordinate with staff and members to ensure that the right people are in the room at the right time
• Build relationships within Minneapolis City Government structures (including CPED, Department of Health, LSED, etc.) to support building worker power
• Track upcoming development projects in the City of Minneapolis through political and neighborhood organizational relationships, as well as through the City Planning Commission.
• Collaborate with our construction worker base and organizers to advance processes and/or ordinances that will support and strengthen workers’ rights
• Collaborate with our partner organizations to represent CTUL across multiple coalition spaces related to municipal, county, state, or federal policies on workers’ rights.
• Collaborate with our partner organizations, directors, and organizing leads to develop innovative legislative strategies to advance our goals. 
• Serve as proxy for Co-Directors as needed, staffing committee meetings and partner meetings as appropriate
• In partnership with the Co-Directors, develop annual priorities, long term policy vision, goals, and budget as applicable for our policy initiatives.
• Other duties or tasks may be assigned on an as-needed basis.

Knowledge and Experience:

• Minimum of 3 years of leadership experience, ideally in government/public administration spaces and organizing campaign/coalition spaces
• Familiarity with “inside-outside” movement-building and electoral politics and able to move this type of strategy
• Familiarity with legislative processes and the players, particularly as it relates to the mechanics of municipal government – a solid understanding of putting laws into practice and navigating political power within Minneapolis and/or St. Paul
• Understanding of and alignment with the belief that this position is only as powerful as the organizations and members it represents – we’re looking for someone who is here to represent and reflect our base, who has humility about their own personal power relative to the power of our worker base and is eager to reflect the power of the base in this particular role 
• Ability to build trust, credibility, and authentic relationships across teams and coalitions
• Able to manage up when needed, and comfortable asserting yourself with people who hold positional power (i.e. elected officials, etc.) Able to hold this space effectively and be clear about our organizational priorities and goals.
• Equally comfortable serving as a member of a coalition or the leader of a coalition
• Confident in your leadership and able to share power (and co-power) effectively and at the right times
• Strong strategic thinking, relationship management, and project management skills – you are adept in defining and measuring goals and impact, anticipating unintended risks and consequences and troubleshooting through them, and persuading people to act toward the achievement of our shared goals
• Nimbleness and a propensity toward action – skilled at managing resistance effectively and a willingness to act, even in situations where it’s not possible to know all the possible information or obstacles in advance. You’re someone who is motivated by solving the challenges in front of you and maneuvering your way through ambiguity and risk.

Desired Qualifications:

• Bilingual English/Spanish is a plus, but not required.
• Fluency in spoken and written English is required
• Access to reliable transportation is required, and a driver’s license and access to own personal transportation is preferred

Other Expectations:

• Commitment to social, racial, and economic justice work as an integral part of a multi-racial team.
• Excellent communication and relationship building skills with an ability to use diplomacy and negotiation.
• Commit to a culture of vulnerability and loving challenge for both personal growth and the growth of the organization.
• Capable of working both independently and cooperatively.
• Flexibility to attend events outside normal business hours, including evenings and weekends as well as occasionally extended hours to accomplish requirements of the position.
• Ability to deal with ambiguity, cope with change, and comfortably handle risk and uncertainty.

Salary & Benefits:

This is a one-year, full-time position with the possibility of renewal. CTUL has a tiered salary range set by the Staff and Board based on the principles of economic justice and inclusion.  This is a salaried position currently compensated at $53,000 per year with an annual raise of 3%. This one-year, full-time, salaried position will work approximately 40 hours per week.

Benefits include: 3 weeks paid vacation, 12 paid sick days, 5 recuperation days, medical and dental insurance for you and your immediate family at 10% cost, annual end of year bonus of 5% of yearly salary which can be used for a retirement fund, and others. 

Reports to: Co-Director

How to Apply:

Please send resume, cover letter, and 3 professional references to operations@ctul.net using the subject: “Policy Lead”

We will begin to review applications on Monday, November 8. This position will remain open until filled.

Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and people from other marginalized communities are strongly encouraged to apply.